Airtasker handyman Duc Tung Do, 40, of Cabramatta charged with sexually touching woman

An Airtasker handyman, born in Vietnam, sexually touched a Sydney woman because he thought she liked him and he didn’t “understand Western culture well”. See what happened in court.

Duc Tung Do (left), 40, an Airtasker handyman of Cabramatta, outside Manly Local Court on Wednesday where he was convicted of three counts of sexual touching without consent. Picture: Manly Daily

A handsy Airtasker handyman said he touched a woman’s breasts and bottom when she called him in to help put up a shower screen because he “thought she liked me”.

Now Duc Tung Do, of Cabramatta, has three convictions for sexually touching another person without consent on his criminal record.

Do, who is married with a family, told Manly Local Court he was ashamed of his actions but partly blamed what he described as a misunderstanding of his victim’s friendliness towards him.

The 40-year-old electrical engineer, who emigrated from Vietnam and now working as a self-employed home handyman, also said his lack of understanding of “Western culture” played a part in his assault of the woman in her apartment.

“I misunderstood her actions,” Do wrote in a letter of apology tendered in court. “She was very kind and friendly to me.

Duc Tung Do told Manly court he thought the victim liked him. Picture: Manly Daily

“I didn’t understand the Western culture well, so I thought she liked me.

“I should have stopped when she told me off.”

His solicitor said Do had poor social skills.

In a facts sheet tendered in court, police stated that Do repeatedly sexually touched the victim when he went to her flat after she posted a request on Airtasker for someone to help wth a domestic task.

Do arrived at the unit at 6pm and patted the woman, who was home alone, on her lower back with an open hand after she helped him carry the screen into her bathroom.

He then asked her to pick up a tool for him, but as she bent down he “grabbed and squeezed her buttock”, according to police.

The woman said “no, don’t touch me, just finish the work”.

She left the bathroom to call a friend.

“A few moments later the (victim) went back into the bathroom and (Do) touched the victim on the breast,” police stated in the facts sheet.

The woman pushed his hand away, but he hugged her and said “you are so beautiful, your skin is beautiful”.

She left the bathroom and set up her mobile phone on a windowsill with the camera pointing towards Do who grabbed her around the torso, pulled her close and then grabbed her breast with his right hand.

Duc Tung Do was convicted and given a three-year Community Correction Order. Picture: Manly Daily

That incident was recorded by the phone’s video.

The woman then called police who arrived while Do was still in the apartment.

Magistrate Robyn Denes said a woman being friendly did not give Do the go-ahead to touch her breasts.

Ms Denes noted there was a problem when woman could not be safe in their own homes and that the victim had not given any signs that she wanted Do to touch her.

“This is not inappropriate behaviour,” she said.

“This is criminal behaviour. You cannot touch people without explicit consent.”

Do was convicted and given a three-year Community Correction Order not to commit any further offences.